WE are all absolutely devastated at the decision by Safeway to pull out of the Great Harwood project (LET, September 10), especially after all the hard work which has been put into this campaign to help bring Safeway to our town.

We thank the people of Great Harwood and Rishton for their overwhelming support, which, we regret, did not come to fruition.

As time went on, we did realise the possibility of Safeway pulling out, as was the case with Brooke Bond Oxo all those years ago, and we have been proved right again.

Before the people who opposed this scheme crack open the champagne, they should stop and think about this - Safeway would have done much more to improve the image of our dying town and also to attract many outsiders in to shop.

Apparently, the Co-op does not appear to have the same high profile or appeal, and this alternative plan does not seem, on the face of it, as exciting.

But the brand new ultra modern Co-op store in Ramsbottom is there for people to go and see for themselves, as the Great Harwood store will be modelled on this.

This store is a world away from the "Late Shop" we are familiar with.

It will be interesting now to see just how many of our councillors and a certain regular contributor to your letters column, will jump down from the fences they have been sitting on all these months and confess that, of course, they wanted to see Safeway come to Great Harwood, all along.

The fact still remains - Great Harwood still needs and wants a supermarket of this proportion on the site already earmarked for this purpose. If the Co-op can and will provide this service, then so be it.

MARLENE HADCROFT (Mrs), (Warden, Netherton House), Clayton Street, Great Harwood.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.